Only 3.3 million Papua New Guineans are registered: NID Boss Noel Mobiha

After nine years, millions of tax payers’ monies spent on compulsory registration of Papua New Guineans, less than a quarter of the population have their personal details registered at the National Identity [NID] Office database.

NID Director General Noel Mobiha revealed that 3.3 million Papua New Guineans have been registered and applauded the Marape Government since 2019 for constant funding “under your regime we have done better”.  

Mr. Mobiha said that 77 per cent, or approximately 2.3 million of the total registrations, occurred under the Marape Government, marking a significant increase in the project's momentum since its inception in 2015.

Minister for Administrative Services Richard Masere detailed the financial contributions towards the project, noting a total expenditure of K461 million, with K115.8 million allocated during Prime Minister Marape's term.

“This investment has resulted in 77 per cent of total registrations, showcasing a stark improvement in efficiency and output compared to the K345.5 million spent previously, which accounted for only 23 per cent or 770,493 registrations.

“Out of the 3.3 million registered individuals, 1.2 million have received their NID cards, including duplicates. The project has also issued 2.4 million birth certificates and recorded a similar number of registrations for children,” Mr Masere said.

He highlighted challenges of scaling up registrations, pointing to the need for more kits and manpower and recommended provincial government support in procuring kits and funding staff salaries to expedite the registration process.

Despite these hurdles, the dedication of the NID office's workforce, primarily composed of recent university graduates working as casuals, remains high, even amidst delays in salary payments.

“Financial constraints have further impacted the NID project, with a K10 million cut from its nominal K20 million budget this year, alongside efforts to settle a K5 million outstanding debt to the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC),” Mr Masere said.

“However, the project has received support from various sources, including a private firm, Santos, planning to purchase K1 million worth of registration kits, and UNICEF, which has bought 44 kits awaiting arrival. The Gulf Provincial Government has also contributed by purchasing 20 kits.”

Prime Minister Marape expressed his gratitude towards Director General Mobiha and the NID staff for their commendable work and issued an apology for the recent budget cuts, reaffirming the government's commitment to the success of the National Identity project.